While trauma work can be very rewarding, it can also be very painful and stressful. Finding your self-care practice for healing from or managing these stressors is essential both for your well being as well as for those you are supporting in recovery. Below is a list of healing and coping practices named by local Alameda County providers and agency staff members. Top mentioned practices have been highlighted in bold. If you would like to share a practice, please email Lori.DeLay@acgov.org.
Mindfulness Based Practices
- Mediation
- Yoga
- Breathing Exercises
- Guided Imagery
- Breath Awareness – Dan Siegel’s Wheel of Awareness
- Gabriel Kram’s approaches to Applied Mindfulness
- A Simple Guide to Creating a Mindful Workplace
- Hiking/walking
- Empathy
- Self-regulation
- Process with supervisor
- Hobbies
Relaxation Techniques
- Breathing
- Meditation
- Body scan
- Pregressive relaxation
- Reading
- Short, focused intervals of relaxation and centering
- Music
- Proper sleep
- Time away from work
- Tai Chi
- Hot spring
Supervision
- Clinical supervision
- Trainings
- Colleagues/supervisors
- Doing supervision at work
- Reflective Supervision
- Weekly
- Peer consultation
- Consultation in group and individually (Case consultation)
- Debrief difficult clinical interactions/relationships
Therapy/Counseling
- 1:1 and peer support
- Weekly or Bi-weekly (or as needed) counseling or therapy
- Availability of Employee Assistance Program
- Individual psychotherapy
- Ability to work through issues with supervisor and clinical supervision
- Ability to work through issues on my own
Body-Based Practices
- Exercise
- Yoga
- Walking
- Massage
- Somatic
- Acupuncture
- Visualization
- Rachel Michaelsen
Community and Family Support
- Family
- Friends
- 12-step programs
- Church
- Coordination of service teams
- Planned fun!
- Trans community groups
- Colleagues
Spirituality and Religion
- Attending church
- Buddhist practice
- Cultural practices
- Prayer
- Finding a weekly spiritual practice
Other
- Resources in Response to Tragedies
- Books on the Topic
- Gardening
- Continuing Education of Trauma and its Effects
- Dancing
- Socializing
- Swimming
- Community Service Projects (seeing immediate impact!)
- Time in Nature
- Regularly Reviewing Successes
- Surfing
- Supportive Staff and Supervisors
- All of the above categories
Additional Self-Care Resources and Articles:
- 10 Self-Care Strategies During Trying Times– brought to you by PsychCentral.com
- Preventing Relapse in Traumatized Families: The Troubleshooting Technique– brought to you by ACEs Connection
- 7 Self-Care Strategies To Help Manage Trauma, According To Experts– brought to you by Bustle.Com
- Understanding Trauma-Informed Care: What Does It Look Like?– brought to you by ACEs Connection
- 7 Strategies to Turn Trauma Into Strength – brought to you my Yes! Magazine
- Therapeutic Tremoring – Shake Off Stress And Trauma– brought to you by ACEs Connection
- Self-Care for Behavioral Health Professionals – Developing a Self-Care Plan
- Creating a Healthier Life: A Step-by-Step Guide to Wellness (SAMHSA)
- A Simple Guide to Creating a Mindful Workplace mindfulnessspace.com.au
- The Greater Good Science Center http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/:
- Eight Ways to Stand Up to Hate
- Help Guide –Emotional Health
- The Resiliency Quiz
- Personal Resilience Builder
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health -Stress at Work
- Taking Good Care of Yourself – Mental Health America
- Self-Care Starter Kit, University of Buffalo
- How to Find Work Life Balance:
- Work-life Balance Tips -Mental Health America
- How to Break Your Addiction to Work
- How to Achieve Work-Life Balance: The Power of No
- Get to the Root of Work Stress http://zenhabits.net/workstress/
- Workaholics Anonymous http://www.workaholics-anonymous.org/
- Three Qualities of a Happy Workplace
- Four Self-Care Habits to Practice at Work
- Key Work & Career Content:
- What Mel Brooks Can Teach Us about “Group Flow,” by R. Keith Sawyer
- Are You a Jerk at Work?, by Robert I. Sutton
- Working for Happiness, by Alex Frankel
- Five Steps to Happiness at Work, by Timothy Sharp
- Compassion across Cubicles, by Jill Suttie
- Three Ways Administrators Can Foster Teachers’ Growth, by Vicki Zakrzewski
- Why Inequality is Bad for the One Percent, by Jason Marsh
- Rising Together: How Companies Can Fight Prejudice in the Workplace, by Jennifer A. Chatman
- Self-Care for Students:
- Mindfulness and Meditation on Campus – https://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/college-resource-center/mindfulness-meditation/
- The Mind/Body Connection for Students – https://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/resources/zen-lifestyle-in-school/
- Greater Good Science Center– based at UC Berkeley